What is it? Ephemeral messaging, or self-destructive messaging, is a system where messages are deleted after a certain period of time after being read. Messages can be text, images, videos or emails. The process usually involves encryption during transfer and strong password walls to verify users before messages are viewed. A certain period of time after the message is viewed it is deleted on both the sender’s and receiver’s devices, as well as the system servers. Examples of platforms that use ephemeral messaging are Snapchat, Wickr, Mirage, Dust, Confide and Facebook Messenger.
Purpose. Internet users have limited control over their online content, ephemeral messaging offers an increased level of privacy. It provides protection against a widespread distribution of the content you send and keeps conversations private from others. Since no record is maintained, someone with your device is unable to read those messages. Ephemeral messaging helps those who are hiding activities, which could be for privacy in everyday life up to hiding illegal activity or threatening messages that could otherwise be used in court. Generally, ephemeral messaging is for users to communicate without leaving a copy of everything they send to be permanently recorded. See this video (start at 2:45) for more information on benefits of ephemeral messaging.
How secure is it? It is impossible for ephemeral messaging to be perfectly secure. Some platforms have tools to prevent screenshots of messages, or require a finger to be on the screen to make it more difficult. However, this doesn’t prevent a user from having an external camera to take a picture of the content while viewing the message. There is also the possibility that the service provider doesn’t destroy their copy of the message. The apps’ companies may also collect some information for analysis or to sell to advertisers, or be forced to surrender that information when asked by the NSA or through the legal process for an employer or school. For more information see this website discussing potential security issues in ephemeral messaging. Despite the lack of perfect security, ephemeral messaging is more secure than regular messaging. The chances of the message content being released much lower, providing a more private means of communication.
Apps. The most popular app for ephemeral messaging is Snapchat. It has had some issues, such as getting hacked and potentially not deleting photos off their servers. Confide is another app, which has a feature requiring the user to drag their finger to reveal each line of the message, making it more difficult to copy the message. Facebook Messenger has a new feature, Secret Conversation, which includes encryption. Wickr allows its users to set the duration of auto-destruction on their messages. See this website for more information on popular ephemeral messaging apps.
Use in Business. Ephemeral messaging has begun to spread into business use. These apps could be useful in the communication of private and sensitive information. It can be essentially used as a digital version of in-person meetings or phone calls, in lieu of emails which maintain the information sent. Ephemeral messaging could protect businesses in the case of hacking, where their conversations would be vulnerable if stored. Sensitive information won’t be stored, where it has the potential to be found. Though ephemeral may not be for all communication, it may be used for information the company/entity wishes to keep private. This type of communication could be useful in government, hospitals, senior-citizen care, law enforcement, fire departments and financial institutions. Some regulation may be necessary to incorporate ephemeral messaging in business, this website outlines some possible regulations.
I cannot say if ephemeral messaging will be widely used, but it has benefits which gives it the potential to become commonplace. It offers a step towards making information on the Internet less permanent.
Works Cited
I agree that ephemeral messaging could be very valuable in a business setting. For example, it could be used in the medical field to help maintain HIPAA when sending messages with PHI (Personal Health Information). This way a patients information could be sent, but then be deleted so there would be less risk to the confidentiality of the patient. However, I think that this idea of lower risk and higher privacy is a double sided sword that is hurting many younger people, mainly teenagers. The supposed promise of the message just disappearing into thin air has made teens more bold and less cautious. They use these messaging apps as a way to send explicit photos or say aggressive or hateful things to others and fear no repercussions. I fear that they these sites aren't as private as they all may seem because there are still ways to record the things shared and what is sent from person to person can still have a harmful effect on the recipient. So, while I see the good that ephemeral messaging apps could do, I believe that they can be equally as dangerous.
ReplyDeleteLike Cole mentioned, just because the information disappears from the user's devices doesn't necessarily mean the information actually disappears. The service provider may still store information on their servers to aid law enforcement in cases where illegal activity is conducted through ephemeral messaging platforms. Ephemeral messaging also poses a different issue; by nature, the messages and content disappears after a certain amount of time or after being viewed. Because the content disappears, agreements made through ephemeral messaging services may lack validity, as the agreement itself disappears with the messages. Despite this, I still think ephemeral messaging is a safer alternative to simply texting or instant messaging other individuals because it provides protection against device searches.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that ephemeral messaging has major benefits for businesses and social life. Being able to send encrypted messages to others that get deleted soon after is a great way to share personal and sensitive information with people. It offers greater protection of confidentiality in a work environment and instills confidence in users, making them more willing to post their opinions. Despite the benefits, ephemeral messaging is not foolproof. Users must put immense trust in that the messaging companies will actually keep the posts secret and eventually delete them. At the same time, users can use outside sources such as cameras to keep track of the posts, which renders the purpose of ephemeral messaging pointless. Ephemeral messaging also seems risky if overused in a business environment, as since the post is allegedly deleted that means there is no record of any conversations or agreements. I know from personal experience I prefer to keep some kind of record of online discussions with others so that I can back up any of my claims with evidence. While I don't think ephemeral messaging is necessary for every facet of business, I do believe that this messaging system will become commonplace due to the benefits of privacy.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I do think ephemeral messaging will become more common in business practices as younger generations that are used to the internet and ephemeral messaging enter the workforce, it will never replace other forms of communication, as each form has its specific purpose, pros and cons. As discussed in earlier posts, there are many ways that ephemeral messaging may not truly be ephemeral, including external photos being taken, hacking, or messaging platforms secretly saving data. Businesses and consumers will need to consider whether or not ephemeral messaging is the best fit for their purpose, using "threat modeling" system similar to that described in one of our readings. Overall, I think that while ephemeral messaging is a valuable privacy tool and has great potential to lessen the permanency of internet data, I also think it is limited in its range of uses, especially for business, and will take some trial and error.
ReplyDeleteI do see the benefits of ephemeral messaging however I don't think its become popular enough that people really understand It. The idea of encrypted messages and the fact that the message goes away makes people feel too comfortable. Most people don't realize that all of the messages that are sent are being kept as data somewhere. The fact that the government as well as hackers can still get the data is what leads me astray. I do see how its a safer move for businesses however I don't see how It would be convenient for a large business. Most of the ephemeral messaging apps are basically texts or messages which seems rather silly for large businesses if you will give me that. Emails are basically the standard and I don't see them changing anytime soon. Encrypting your email is also a possibility and most government agencies have this so I see companies hiring tech people to encrypt their work emails before switching over to ephemeral messaging. Until the older generation is weeded out and advances in ephemeral messaging apps come out, I believe that ephemeral messaging doesn't have a place in business quite yet.
ReplyDeleteI understand the benefits and downfalls of ephermeral messaging, some of which are obvious and some aren't, but overall, it seems like an OK thing, if that's what the question is. On the plus side, everything "disappears" unless screenshotted, which, when done, notifies the sender. It also doesn't take up massive amounts storage like traditional text and picture messaging, although this is being solved with services like iCloud. On the down side, ephemeral messages might be stored and even analyzed by app companies to sell to advertisers. Ephemeral messaging is also very frustrating, in my opinion, since everything erases and you can't refer back to something previously said in a conversation. This is why I think it will be very difficult for businesses to adopt ephemeral messaging. Overall, ephemeral messaging has become very popular for young people to use, and hey, if you want to use it, it doesn't seem any less safe than regular SMS or iMessage.
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ReplyDeleteI understand the pitfalls of ephemeral messaging in a legal sense. When evidence of communications can be swiftly destroyed cases can become harder and harder to take to court successfully. But I also think this is no different than speaking in private or burning letters (like George Washington did with his and his wife's correspondence. George Washington was using fire-based ephemeral messaging before it was cool). The personal benefits this kind of messaging could have for me in the realm of privacy far outweigh the potential harms in my mind. I am in favor of allowing people to use ephemeral messaging.
ReplyDeleteI do believe ephemeral messaging may be adopted in the future, to what extent I’m not completely sure. As mentioned in the blog post it’s impossible to be completely secure so I don’t believe it will gain much momentum in becoming commonplace. I can see the potential benefits and limitations of this type of communication but it’s limiting in the way you will only be able to access the message once which wouldn’t really benefit open communication in a business (well depending on the type of business). What’s interesting is Snapchat has changed so you may actually save certain messages and pictures now making not so easy to disappear.
ReplyDeleteI can definitely see the benefits of ephemeral messaging. As stated in the post, "It offers a step towards making information on the Internet less permanent". Due to the immortal nature of much of our digital footprints, I think that increased use of ephemeral messaging is a step in the right direction to increase privacy and security online.
ReplyDeleteEphemeral messaging does seem like a positive step to reclaim ones privacy. People should research ephemeral messaging systems before they blindly use them. Some messaging apps delete the message on the senders and receivers device but may still keep the message stored on their servers. In this case the user would want to know howlong the message is stored for on the servers and what the stored data is used for as well as if it is encrypted and who can access it.
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